Alicent rubbed the Mighty Terror’s neck and said, “Don’t forget what that zombie bastard did to your baby, Jerry. Take your revenge by the throat. Make him feel the same pain you did. A child for a child.”

  Upon hearing that last sentence, my adrenaline went into overdrive. “I told you to stay away from my kid,” I screamed, hurling a slab of concrete at the bird.

  However, it quickly pierced through the rock with its beak, reducing my attack to pieces. The thing charged at me, its wings spread out while Alicent laughed like a maniac. I threw another slab followed by a wheeless car. The bird destroyed my last-minute projectiles yet again, but I expected that to happen. Using the cloud of dust formed from the debris, I was able to hide long enough to catch the mother off guard and punch her beak, nearly causing its head to spin off.

  I landed back on my feet, and I expected for the creature to be pretty dazed after that hit, though it turned its head back to me like nothing ever happened. Another strike to its beak and it didn't even move back that time.

  Alicent smiled down at me. “While it's true that a beak can be a bird’s weak spot, this is the former ‘Mighty Terror' you're fighting here. You just saw it slide through concrete like butter and you think your punches are gonna damage it?”

  I jumped back a couple inches. “Well, I wasn't really thinking of the beak when I was doing that, but…” I noticed the multiple small cracks at the tip of the bird’s beak. “Thanks for giving me an idea.”

  I lunged at the monstrous beast, fingers curled like claws, and grabbed its beak. Then, I squeezed, squeezed, and kept on squeezing, making sure the damn thing felt all of the power within my fingers. Judging from the ooze curdling scream that erupted from its closed mouth, my plan was working perfectly.

  It was a plan that the bird wanted to challenge, its wings surging upwards until we were all in the sky. The monster flew through the city, spearing through buildings, smashing me against lampposts and traffic lights. I was sure anyone would’ve already let go in those moments, and yet I wasn’t one of those people. In fact, I didn’t feel any of it. It wasn’t like the Mighty Terror was weak. I guess the perks of not having a brain was that I wouldn’t have a proper response to actual pain.

  Through the destruction taking place ‘cause of my battle in the air, I could still hear shrieks of the survivors below and make out certain convos too.

  “Holy shit! The Mighty Terror is fighting a zombie!? How's that even possible?”

  “Yeah, shouldn't they technically be on the same side? It's not like radioactive animals and Radions each other.”

  “I think that zombie’s trying to save us. I saw him duking it out with those pesky loan sharks like fifteen minutes ago.”

  “It is trying to save us because I heard it, and I'm not lying about this, talking! And it sounded exactly like Jerome. Plus, I heard say his kid’s name too.”

  “Are you stupid, Mark? Zombies can’t talk. Even if that was Jerome, you really think he'd be that strong as a zombie? He was always a weakling.”

  Weakling!? I'd like to see you fight one-on-one with a giant bird determined to kill you and your child.

  Speaking of killing… that was something I needed to get finished up on, and I needed to do it quickly before my plan got ruined. And yet, there was always someone there to ruin them anywhere. Alicent would join that list, aiming her gun at my hands.

  “You’ve been holding on for far too long,” growled Alicent, firing a few shots at my left hand.

  Just like when I crashed into those buildings and other objects, I didn’t feel any pain. “All you’re doing is wasting bullets! You know I don’t feel any of this, right?”

  “The point of this isn’t to hurt you,” she said, shooting one last time. “It’s to make you fall!”

  The second she said that, I noticed that the grip I had on the beak with my left hand disappeared completely, my fingers reduced to tiny stumps while my hand was riddled with holes. With my strength now cut in half, the bird was able to open its mouth just enough to dwarf my body, leaving me dangling. Assuming it would attempt to throw me off, I let go and landed on its tongue. I launched my fist at the roof of its mouth, but the bird moved quicker, trapping me in the middle of its beak.

  Its slimy tongue curled beneath me, clearly trying to scarf me down, that was definitely not a pleasant feeling. However, my new body wasn’t so weak that I could be swallowed so easily. Although, all the punches I landed on its beak didn't do shit. Instead of letting go, the bird’s mouth stayed put, intent on its goal.

  “Whatever tortuous punishment this bird has planned for me, maybe you should inform her that it won't really kill me.”

  Alicent inched closer to me, but not too close as to feel the wrath of my hands. “I never understood why everyone here hated Dante so much. One of our guys accidentally let what we did to you slip, and that two-face freak had the audacity to confront us about it. Now everyone here is paying for his disrespect.”

  Two-face freak? Is she talking about Saveer? But if he sold us out in the first place, then why would he start all that chaos down there?

  “I don't know. Maybe it's ‘cause the guy’s an asshole, sold people to the Slavelands, and threatened to kill my daughter! You have to be insane to think none of that is bad.”

  She scoffed. “Those pale in comparison to the crimes your daughter is guilty of. All of the people she's killed, the families she's separated, the children she turned into orphans.” There was a genuine hatred in her voice when talking about Sunshine, as though she actually believed any of that was true. “All because of that damn virus she created!”

  The bird landed on top of a building. “I have no idea what you're babbling about, and now I'm really starting to think you're going crazy. Sunshine would never kill-”

  “She already has! And you, you continue to enable her and make her think that she deserves to live just as much as anyone else. So did my mom! So did my dad! Why did they have to die and that stupid bitch gets to live!?”

  “She gets to live ‘cause I saw she gets to live,” I snarled, trying to rip the beak open. “And I'm not gonna let a hypocrite like you tell me she can't by feeding lies to me!”

  “H-Hypocrite? I am a victim of your brat’s reign of terror, and I'll be damned if I let that girl live any longer. So perhaps the best way to ensure that happens is for Jerry to swallow you whole.”

  Suddenly, a green, foaming liquid began to froth from the Mighty Terror’s mouth, building up until it eventually covered my entire body. There were bones within it too—human remains. This must've been the vomiting technique birds use to feed their babies. But if that was the case, wouldn’t that just make me fall out? What was this thing trying to do?

  My questions were answered when I felt myself slip further into the bird’s mouth. It was swallowing back the vomit, and unluckily for me, I was right inside it. I knew I didn’t have much time left, so I desperately slammed down on the beak, but it did nothing.

  If only I still had my other hand…

  At that moment, a surge of energy filled my body as the vomit started to bubble and sizzle profusely. It wasn't adrenaline nor was it some kind of newfound willpower. My body was literally glowing a bright green, and it felt like I was on the verge of exploding.

  “Hmm, that's a new look,” said Alicent, squinting her eyes. “Well, that probably doesn't mean anything bad… for me. For you, well, who knows? Enjoy your trip down.”

  “Damn it! This is disgusting,” I shouted, sliding further and further down the bird’s mouth decorated with death. “Let. Go. Of me!”

  My demands were ignored, and I was shoved down into the belly of the beast. The inside of the bird was as disgusting as the vomit coming out of it, the pink surface littered with bones and traces of vomit. It was a good thing I wasn’t able to smell things anymore as a zombie. There was stomach acid there too, though it wasn’t strong enough to damage me. Despite the darkness in there, my glowing body worked like a flashlight for me.

  “What the hell even is this,” I asked myself, staring at the hand that Alicent destroyed. To my surprise, it suddenly began to regenerate once I acknowledged it. “I don’t know why, but this kinda feels good.” I made a fist and glanced at one of the walls. “This feels really good.”

  I punched the inside with a brutal intensity, causing everything around me to vibrate. Even here, I was able to hear the bird scream in pain. I was about to go for another blow when a burst of energy exploded out of my feet, knocking me headfirst into the wall. I had no idea what it was or what was causing it, but the force was strong enough to seemingly send the monster spiraling through the sky.

  “How do I… make this stop,” I murmured, shaking my legs around. “If only Sunshine was here. With how many books she reads, she’s pretty much a nerd with this zombie shit.”

  At that moment, the stomach acid combined with everything else that was in there all jumbled up together, eventually adding me into the mix. Then, we were shot out of the bird’s mouth in a mass of green. I skidded across the terrain, feeling the energy in my feet dissipate with each scrape against the earth. Finally, the last remnants of my power faded as I lay in a small crater—the dirt beneath my head acting like a soft pillow.

  Part of me thought I defeated the bird with how hard I was rocketing into its stomach, but I had no way to make sure. The Mighty Terror wasn’t anywhere to be found for some odd reason.

  “Jerome, are you good?” The voice came from a boy I had known for a bit.

  “Yo, Jackie,” I said, turning to him. “I’ve never been better. How’d you know it was me?”

  He repeatedly poked my arm. “Everyone was already saying you turned into a zombie and were fighting that Mighty Terror. And you sound like Jerome too.”

  “Makes sense,” I replied, sitting back up. “Anyways, do you know where Sunshine is? My daughter? I’m trying to find her after that prick Dante took her from me.”

  “You mean that cute girl with the pink hoodie,” he said, his face brightening annoyingly. “I think someone said something about a warehouse. Dante has her in one of those green ball things. She had like a bruise on her face, but she looked fine to me.”

  The warehouse on the Ave? I could definitely run there.

  “Thanks, Jackie.” I hopped up to my feet. “You know, you don’t really seem to be that fazed by all this. You’re pretty weird.”

  “Says the talking zombie,” he scoffed, shoving his hands in her pockets.

  Bang!

  It was only when I noticed that my clenched hand was in front of Jackie’s face did it register in my head that I just caught a bullet.

  I looked to my right and saw that Alicent was the one who fired the gun. “Jesus Christ, you really are a hypocrite,” I yelled, gesturing for Jackie to leave. “It’s not just my kid. You’ll murder any other kid too.”

  “And yet, your brat continues to murder many more!”

  I rushed after her, my feet cracking the ground while I hardened my fist. In that instant, I caught talons coming towards me out of the corner of my vision.

  It was fast. A little too fast for me to dodge. If this was an attack made out of desperation by the Mighty Terror, then of course it would be moving this damn fast.

  Shit…

  Unexpectedly, the bird’s scrawny leg was crushed by a big man wielding a giant hammer, causing the bird to collapse onto me. However, I was able to push the bird off of me and toss it into an apartment.

  If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

  “God damn, Jerome. You look terrible.” That voice… “You’re the last person who would deserve to look worse than m-”

  Without hesitation, I grabbed the man by his beard and said, “Don’t give that shit when you’re the one who told those bastards about where I lived, Saveer! This is practically your fault too. My daughter could’ve died ‘cause of you. I died ‘cause of you.”

  The two-face sighed. “You don’t understand, Jerome. I did what I had to do in order to protect my family. You of all people should understand how important that is.”

  “The hell are you on about, man? You live alone.”

  “It’s… my daughter,” he said somberly. “Moonlight. They said they’d find and kill her if I didn’t tell them where you two lived. I’m sorry, but that’s the truth.”

  I let go of his beard. “Huh!? She’s alive? You said she died years ago during the start of the apocalypse. Why the fuck would you lie to me about that?”

  “If you were in my position, would you really tell me that much about your kid?”

  “Dude, I used to let you babysit Sunshine. Of course I would tell you!” I stepped back, shaking my head in disappointment. “You’re the only friend I got around here. Maybe that doesn’t mean much to you, but it does to me. ‘Cause in a world like ours, friendship and trust are two of the most important things. You have to trust shit like that with me.”

  Saveer charged towards the building. “I only had two options, and I chose the one that benefited me! I’m sorry I wanted to keep my child alive.”

  I followed him. “Don’t give me that, Saveer. I just saw you break the Mighty Terror’s leg in half. You’re telling me you couldn’t keep your mouth shut and protect my home at the same time. I would’ve done that.”

  Once we made it inside, we were greeted with the image of what we thought was the strongest monster in the city pathetically staggering. And yet, its determination to come out victorious seemed to dwarf its pain as it used the spikes on its wings to shred through the walls like they were paper. Saveer moved out the way before any debris could land on him while I knocked away any that dared to land on me.

  “Jerome, life doesn’t work that way,” he argued, swinging at the bird. “In every situation, you’re only going to have limited options. You can’t just make your own path or do every option at once. You’ll just get yourself or others killed doing that.”

  I jumped onto the bird and grabbed one of its wings. “Well, things shouldn’t be that way. Especially if it means my friend is going to endanger the life of my only kid!”

  Saveer struck the animal’s beak. “Listen, if you had to choose to save my life or your daughter’s life, then who would you choose? Another little girl’s life or your daughter’s life?”

  “In both scenarios, I would choose to save b-”

  “And if you can't save both?”

  “Then I… I don't know.”

  ”Look, I’m helping you out now because I felt bad about what I did. Seeing your new look doesn’t make that any better for me. Saveer gritted his teeth and swung his hammer at the bird’s other leg. He missed, the bird quickly jumping just in time. “Jumping on just one leg is crazy.”

  “I have an idea on how to beat this thing, and I'll need your help,” I said, breaking the spikes off of the animal’s wings. It slammed me against a pillar, yet I remained holding on. “Something about this thing’s vomit increased my power by a lot. Like the energy inside of it gave me a boost. I think I absorbed it somehow. Make it throw up for me!”

  He nodded and aimed his weapon for its stomach. He missed again, though the Mighty Terror didn't dodge that time. Using the wing I wasn't grasping, the monster slashed the oozy half of Saveer’s body, blasting him into a box of crates.

  “Shit!” I jumped off the confidently screeching bird and zoomed towards my fallen friend. Even with the appearance of his body, it was still pretty disturbing to see pieces of his essence splattered on the floor. “Are you ok, man? Is there any way to fix this?”

  “Don't worry about me,” he groaned, sitting up. “You can't protect me and kill that monster at the same time. Just leave and finish it off for me.”

  “But your body is-”

  “Look out,” he yelled, pulling me out of the way before the bird‘s beak could pierce my back. “Do not worry about me! It’ll take a while, but my body can heal. Take my hammer and hit as hard as you can, alright?”

  “Alright,” I said, tackling the bird out of the way so I could fulfill my pal’s wish. I scrambled to my feet, eyes locking onto the hammer a few feet away. The beast shook itself off and turned, beady eyes flashing with rage.

  I lunged. My fingers wrapped around the hammer’s grip just as the giant charged. With a sharp pivot, I swung, driving the weapon into its gut. A wet crunch reverberated through the building as vomit mixed with blood spewed from its beak, spilling onto my body. It collapsed onto its knee, its head tieredly swaying.

  Ok, ok! Absorb… how the hell did I do that in the first place? How did that energy just burst out of my feet before? If I recalled correctly, then after the Mighty Terror’s essence stained my body, it began to disappear, seeping into me. Maybe I could control how it goes into me. And then choose where I want it to come out of.

  I dropped the hammer, pretending to close my eyes. I imagined having mini rockets for hands. My arms tightened as I squeezed, squeezed, and squeezed with all my strength.

  Seconds passed. Energy gathered in my palms, swelling until it matched the size of the bird’s chest. Then, in one powerful burst, it erupted into a beam that blasted the bird into the sky. An emerald explosion filled the sky, wind roaring above. A thunderous boom followed, and wind slammed into me, nearly knocking me off balance.

  “Holy shit! I did it, Saveer!”

  “Geez… when you said it gave you a boost, I didn’t think you meant that.”

  I lowered my arm and made a fist. “If I use this kind of power against Dante, then I’ll be able to-”

  “Then, you’ll be able to do what? Beat me? Save your little brat?”

  I didn’t need to turn around and pretend to be shocked. I already knew who the voice belonged to. A red fog filled my mind while the built up fury inside my soul broke out of its cage, surging through my body as though I was just struck by lightning. Then, I ran towards him, ran towards the man who took my sun away from me.

  “Dante!” My voice echoed, but not even that wiped the smug grin off of his sharp face. The only one who actually looked scared of me at that moment was my daughter, staring at me with a shocked expression in Dante’s bubble.

  “Jerome, you turned into a Type Two Radion, eh?” He formed a bubble around himself. “The Radius are gonna love this.”

  “I had enough of you,” I roared, striking his orb with a determined fist. With how strong I had become physically, I expected it to shatter upon hitting it. It didn’t even crack. It was acting like a forcefield for the prick.

  Dante sighed. “These things are hard to break. You’re going to have to try harder than that.”

  Just like with the bird and its vomit, there was this mysterious aura surrounding the forcefield and Dante. If this was something I could absorb, then it was time I tried it out here and now! I placed my hands on his bubble and began to absorb the energy through my palms, watching Dante’s relaxed face turn to confusion.

  “I didn’t think it would take such a short time for you to figure out your Radius Ability. I thought it would take longer considering you’re a zombie now. They are supposed to be mindless monsters, after all.”

  “The only one who’s going to be mindless here is you after I knock your head off your shoulders,” I said, noticing holes in his forcefield forming.

  It looked like Dante noticed them too judging by the fearful smile on his face. “Ok, that's enough out of you.”

  I felt something small push against my abdomen, blasting me backwards til I slammed into the wall. It was another forcefield, and it was growing with each second. I tried to fire another blast out of my hands like before, though nothing came out. Instead, my feet decided to take that spot, rocketing me upwards. It took all of my might to fully control my flight. When I was finally able to aim my body towards Dante, my body zoomed.

  Unfortunately for me, the orb latched to my stomach surrounded me. What should’ve been my fist colliding with the asshole’s forcefield was just a third forcefield. No, not a third. The one that my daughter was trapped in had disappeared completely. But why would Dante free her now?

  I was gonna tell Sunshine to run, though she was already on that before I could even look at her. “I don’t know if you can’t fully control your powers either, but freeing my daughter just lost you any leverage you had over me.”

  “I really wouldn’t say that,” he replied, pointing behind me.

  I turned around, the energy dissipating. I had forgotten about Alicent in this fight for a bit, and she decided to make her presence known again by aiming her gun at Saveer. Quickly, I jumped in the bubble and punched its wall, launching it at the two.

  Suddenly, the forcefield vanished. It didn’t stop my momentum, my body tackling Alicent to the ground. I grabbed the gun she dropped and pointed it at her. However, Sunshine yelling for me made me hesitate to pull the trigger. My attention turned back, and fear gripped my soul the moment I saw a forcefield around my kid’s head.

  “Drop the gun or your brat loses her head,” he demanded, holding his hand out to her. “It wouldn’t be hard. All I’d have to do is close it really fast.”

  Not wanting to see such a gruesome end to her life, I dropped the gun. Alicent didn’t take long to pick up the weapon and aim it at Saveer again.

  “If you try and help that Two-Face freak, then I’ll kill the kid.”

  A crowd of the survivors that were left began to form at the giant hole I made, a various number of expressions plastered on their faces.

  “You see guys? Jerome’s trying to save us. He even saved me earlier.” That came from Jackie.

  “Did I just hear Dante say he’d kill that little girl!? What the hell is wrong with him?”

  “That’s Jerome’s kid. He’s been trying to save her all day.”

  “Hold on, that’s Saveer. That stupid bitch is gonna kill him!”

  “We gotta stop them!”

  Alicent shot a bullet at them, though none of them were hurt. “You people are gonna stay the fuck back! Y’all are not gonna do shit!” She turned back to my fallen friend who was gritting his teeth. “Dante always hated that ugly half of yours. It’s finally time we get rid of you for good.”

  Damn it! There’s no way I could just watch a good friend die. But if I stopped her, then Sunshine will… Damn it. Maybe I could save both… Yeah! I could stop the bullet, and then get Sunshine out of here. I just gotta move really fast. Fast enough to save b-

  “Jerome!” Saveer’s shout snapped me out of my internal planning. “You only have limited options in any situation. Don’t choose me over your own child. Just… let me go.”

  “But-”

  “Tell Moonlight that I-”

  The man wasn’t even given a chance to say his proper final words as Alicent turned the normal half of his face into a bloody mess. Blood squirted out of the side of his skull as the crowd’s screams filled the building. Then, his body finally collapsed.

  “Fuck,” I murmured, my hands shaking.

  “Saveer,” Sunshine said in a low tone.

  Alicent walked past me, flashing a smirk my way. “Dante, care to do the honors?” She tossed the gun to Dante.

  “What are you on about,” asked Dante, catching the gun.

  Alicent grabbed Sunshine’s shoulders and said, “Don’t you remember what we talked about? We’re gonna make her pay for what she did to me and everyone else.”

  “No,” I said, rushing towards the woman with a fist.

  “Oh yeah,” he replied, slowly lifting the gun. “I lied.”

  Crimson exploded out of Alicent’s chest, and my punch struck her jaw soon after, the sickening crack filling me with satisfaction. The impact sent her flying through a wall and into the sky never to be seen again.

  Without another thought, I ran to my daughter and gave her a tight embrace. “Sunshine, I'm so sorry I couldn't save you earlier. But I'm here now, alright? You're ok now.” For some reason, Dante had deactivated the forcefield around her head.

  “Jerome… what happened to you?” She gripped my back. “Did you turn into this… ‘cause of me?”

  “Uh, well, a bird shredded me around a bit, but I'm technically still here. Even if my appearance is pretty different now.”

  “This was just like last time. You sacrificed your life for me… but this time you actually died.”

  I stopped hugging her and looked at her face. “Hey, hey, it’s fine. This isn’t something to be sad about. It’s not like I’m gonna eat you. You don’t have to be scared.”

  To my surprise, Sunshine’s eyes began to brighten like she just saw the coolest thing in the world. “Scared? Are you crazy? You look so cool now! Everyone saw that big explosion in the air. Was that you?”

  “Uh… yeah,” I muttered. Geez, was she really not care about who… what I was now?

  “This must be that Radius Dante was talking about. What kind of power was-”

  Her sentence was interrupted by another bubble forming around her head. “Shit,” I said quietly, leaving my child and sprinting towards Dante. Luckily for him, the coward activated his power again before I could attack. “Leave that girl alone or I’ll-”

  “Or what? You’ll hurt me really bad?” He placed his hands into his pockets. “Are you just gonna forget all the good I’ve done these past few minutes?”

  I gripped his barrier. “You got Saveer killed!”

  “No, I shot the crazy bitch who actually did kill him.”

  “You were gonna kill my daughter! You threatened to sell her into slavery!”

  “No, I shot the crazy bitch who very much wanted her dead. And that slavery bit was just a little white lie to give some motivation. Are you starting to see how that girl was actually the bad guy in all this? ”

  “You destroyed my home and turned me into this!”

  “Yeah,” he snickered. “I definitely did that.”

  I punched his forcefield, putting a stop to his amusement. “Just shut the hell up and tell me what you want with my daughter!”

  He raised his hands mockingly. “Would you calm the hell down? You see, I’m not gonna kill your little brat, but I do have to take her somewhere. Somewhere with people who desperately want to see her. And then there’s you. Your power to absorb and release energy makes you a Radius Ability user like me. The Radius members need to see you too.”

  I gritted my teeth. “Fuck that. After everything you put me through, every lie you told me, you think I’d believe you? Let go of Sunshine now.”

  “I lie a lot, but this is the one time I’m not, Jerome. What Alicent was saying about your daughter wasn’t wrong. Whatever that disease is plaguing her life, it’s affecting others as well. The place I want to take her to help kids like her live longer lives. Hell, the money I take from you and all the other unlucky fools in debt goes directly to those people and their research. I’m not a good person, but I don’t want to see kids die.”

  What kind of stupid bullshit was that!? Then again, how would this prick even know about Sunshine’s disease in the first place? He didn’t know where my home was until today, so he couldn’t have been spying on her.

  Maybe he actually does know a lot more than I think he does…

  I relaxed my hands and stepped back. “Fine… my daughter and I will go with you. However, if I even find a single hole in that little story of yours, it’ll be the last lie you ever tell. Understand?”

  Dante sighed in relief. “Jesus, man, fine. You’ll ‘kill’ me or whatever if you find out I’m lying. Let’s just leave this dump already.”

  He started to walk past me, though I couldn’t let him go until I made one more thing clear. “That’s not all, Dante.” As he stopped to look back at me, I looked at all the fearful survivors staring at us. “Woodshaven was nearly destroyed ‘cause of your self-damaging ego. Whatever money you have, I want the bulk of it to be going into rebuilding this place. The area here might be safe from any zombies or animals, but that explosion is sure to cause some attention. I want a proper wall around the city too. Just like in Van Wyck.”

  Woodshaven was Saveer’s home for years, and the one thing he always wanted for this place was proper protection.

  “Sure. They’ll get their stupid wall.”

  Even with that agreement from him, that asshole still got my friend killed. He didn’t pull the trigger, but he allowed the woman who did to do it. Dante was going to pay for that.